Raw Materials

The types of stone that people used varied over time suggesting that the connection with different areas changed too.

Masters of stone tool technology, our ancestors lived off the land for thousands of years. Although locally available raw materials were used, people preferred stone, obtained through trade or travel, from sources further away. Was it of higher quality or were there other reasons?

Most popular was Mistassini quartzite (wiinwaapsk or ‘fat stone’). Used to make quality tools for over 5,000 years, Mistassini quartzite comes from Waapushukamikw (Colline Blanche) on the Temiscamie River. People also made small scrapers and arrowheads from pebbles of Hudson Bay Lowland chert, found to the southwest of James Bay, and Nastapoka chert from northern coastal areas.